Introduction
Ensuring your dog receives complete and balanced nutrition is vital to its health and wellbeing. However, when making homemade dog food it can be challenging to provide all the necessary nutrients in the right ratios 1. Dogs have different nutritional requirements than humans, and homemade diets often lack certain vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. Deficiencies can lead to issues like anemia, bone diseases, organ damage, and impaired immune function2. That is why it’s important when feeding homemade food to consult your vet and supplement to meet all of your dog’s nutritional needs.
Common Nutrient Deficiencies
Dogs on homemade diets may be deficient in certain key nutrients if their food is not properly formulated. Some common deficiencies include:
- Calcium – Needed for strong bones and teeth. Homemade food often lacks enough edible bone and calcium-rich foods.
- Vitamin D – Allows calcium absorption. Deficiencies cause rickets in puppies. Most homemade diets don’t include enough fish, liver, or vitamin D supplements.
- Zinc – Supports skin, coat, immune system, and enzyme function. Meat contains zinc but it may be insufficient in homemade diets.
- Vitamin E – An antioxidant that protects cells. Meat lacks enough vitamin E compared to commercial dog food.
- Iron – Needed for red blood cell production and oxygen transport. Iron is abundant in meat but absorption depends on vitamin C intake.
- Vitamin B12 – Critical for nerve function and energy metabolism. Only found naturally in animal products.
Other common deficiencies in homemade dog diets include magnesium, copper, potassium, and essential fatty acids. Careful meal planning and supplementation is required to provide complete and balanced nutrition.
Sources:
https://cjfisherinc.com/category/pet-supplies/
https://cjfisherinc.com/blog-modules/page/6/?et_blog
Signs of Deficiency
Dogs fed homemade diets are at a higher risk of developing nutritional deficiencies if the diet is not properly balanced. Some common signs that your dog may have a deficiency include:
- Poor coat quality – A dry, dull, brittle, or shedding coat can indicate deficiencies in fatty acids, zinc, copper, or other nutrients.
- Dental issues – Wear, fractures, and tooth loss may result from inadequate calcium, phosphorous, or vitamin D.
- Muscle weakness or tremors – This can be caused by deficiencies in vitamins E, B1, B6, B12, or magnesium.
- Vision problems – Vitamin A deficiency can lead to night blindness.
- Reproductive issues – Infertility in male dogs may be linked to zinc, vitamin E, or selenium deficiency.
- Anemia – Low iron levels cause pale gums, weakness, and fatigue.
- Immune dysfunction – Deficiencies in vitamin A, C, B6, folate, iron, or zinc can impair immune health.
Paying close attention to your dog’s health and appearance can help identify nutritional shortfalls before they lead to more serious health consequences. Adding a complete multivitamin to your dog’s diet can help prevent deficiencies.
Benefits of Multivitamins
While a balanced homemade diet is ideal, multivitamins can help fill in any nutritional gaps and provide complete nutrition for dogs. They are formulated to provide the optimal levels of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that support dogs’ health and prevent deficiencies (source). Some key benefits of multivitamins for dogs include:
Providing complete nutrition – Multivitamins are designed to deliver a wide spectrum of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other nutrients. This helps ensure dogs get the full range of nutrients they need, even if their homemade diet is lacking in certain areas.
Preventing deficiencies – Getting the right amounts of vitamins and minerals is crucial for dogs. Deficiencies can cause health issues. Multivitamins give an insurance policy against deficiencies.
Supporting overall health – The nutrients in multivitamins play many roles in canine health. They help support skin, coat, joints, cognition, immune function, energy levels, and more. Multivitamins help optimize wellness.
Key Nutrients
When making homemade dog food, it’s important to ensure your pup is getting all the essential vitamins and minerals they need. Some of the most critical nutrients for dogs include:
Vitamin B – This group of vitamins, including thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, biotin, folic acid and cobalamin, helps dogs convert food into energy, maintains healthy skin and muscle tone, supports proper functioning of the nervous system, and more (1).
Magnesium – Magnesium aids in bone formation, protein synthesis, muscle and nerve function, blood glucose control, and more. Signs of deficiency include muscle tremors, weakness, and seizures (2).
Calcium – Needed for strong bones and teeth, proper muscle and heart function, and nerve signaling. Deficiencies can cause bone deformities, fractures, and tremors (3).
Zinc – Supports skin and coat health, wound healing, thyroid function, reproduction, growth, and immune system health. Deficiency can lead to skin problems, diarrhea, slowed growth, and weight loss (3).
Vitamin E – This antioxidant helps prevent cell damage and enhances immune function. Deficiencies can cause neurologic problems, muscle weakness, and infertility (2).
Ensuring homemade dog food contains sufficient amounts of these and other essential vitamins and minerals is critical for your dog’s health and wellbeing.
(1) https://www.greatpetcare.com/dog-nutrition/vitamins-and-minerals-for-dogs/
(2) https://www.ferapetorganics.com/blogs/fera-pet-organics-blog/10-essential-vitamins-for-dogs-and-cats-that-your-pet-needs-to-stay-healthy
(3) https://www.pethonesty.com/blogs/blog/10-benefits-of-multivitamins-for-dogs
Choosing a Multivitamin
When selecting a multivitamin for your dog, there are several key factors to consider:
Look for a product that is veterinarian recommended and designed specifically for dogs. Avoid using human multivitamins, as the nutrient balances are different. Reputable brands that are backed by research and clinical trials are ideal.
Ensure the multivitamin contains proper forms and dosages of key nutrients like calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc, vitamins A, B, C, D, E and K. Avoid products with excessive filler ingredients.
Pay attention to the quality and digestibility of the ingredients. High quality supplements will use bioavailable forms that are readily absorbed.
Consider your dog’s age, size, and health status. Some multivitamins are tailored for puppies, seniors, or breeds with specific needs.
Look for supplements made in facilities that follow Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). This ensures quality, purity and potency.
Choose reputable brands that provide a quality guarantee and are transparent about ingredients and sourcing. Veterinarian formulated is ideal.
Avoid products with artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. Seek natural, high quality ingredients.
Compare costs between products, but focus on quality. Don’t compromise effectiveness to save money.
Consult your veterinarian if you are unsure which multivitamin is best for your dog.
Reference: https://kayodepet.com/blogs/blog
Supplementing Guidelines
When giving your dog vitamins and supplements, it’s important to follow dosage guidelines carefully based on your dog’s unique needs. According to the Complete Guide to Dog Vitamins & Supplements, you’ll want to introduce supplements slowly at the recommended dosage. Giving too much can lead to toxicity. Stick to one supplement at a time if possible.
Dosage will depend on your dog’s weight, age, activity level, and health status. Puppies, pregnant dogs, and nursing dogs may need higher dosages per pound of body weight compared to adult dogs. Very active dogs like working dogs may also need more vitamins. Senior dogs and dogs with certain health conditions may benefit from increased vitamin levels tailored to their needs.
Always follow label instructions or consult your vet if you have questions. Provide supplements with food rather than on an empty stomach to reduce risk of upset. Monitor your dog after starting new supplements for any adverse effects. Adjust dosage down if needed. With proper dosing, supplements can provide important nutritional support without toxicity.
For reference, a general dog multivitamin dosage guideline is:
- Puppies: 1/2 tsp per 4.5 kg body weight
- Adult dogs: 1/2 tsp per 9 kg body weight
- Pregnant/nursing dogs: 1/2 tsp per 4.5 kg body weight
However, consult your vet for dosage recommendations tailored to your individual dog.
Top Recommendations
When choosing a multivitamin for dogs on a homemade diet, veterinarians recommend certain brands and products over others. The top recommended multivitamins include:
NuVet Plus Canine Multivitamin
NuVet Plus is one of the most popular and highly recommended dog multivitamins by vets. It contains over 50 vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, amino acids, enzymes and more tailored specifically for dogs. NuVet Plus provides comprehensive daily nutrition dogs may be missing from homemade meals.
Animal Essentials Plant-Based Seaweed Calcium Multivitamin
Animal Essentials Plant-Based Calcium is an excellent plant-sourced multivitamin powder formulated with calcium-rich seaweed, over 20 vitamins and minerals, antioxidants and probiotics. It provides well-rounded nutrition for dogs on homemade diets.
VetriScience Canine Plus Multivitamin Chews
VetriScience Canine Plus is a tasty chicken-flavored chewable multivitamin. It contains essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and superfoods like blueberries and parsley. VetriScience is a trusted brand used by many vets and pet owners.
Pet Tabs Original Formula Vitamin Supplement
Pet Tabs Original Formula has been a veterinarian trusted vitamin supplement for over 50 years. These liver-flavored chews contain essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients dogs need daily. Pet Tabs is affordable and easy to administer.
Signs of Overdose
Getting the dosage right for dog multivitamins is important to avoid potential toxicity and overdose. Some key signs of vitamin overdose in dogs include:
- Vomiting – dogs may vomit, sometimes with traces of blood (1)
- Loss of appetite
- Increased thirst and urination
- Bloody diarrhea (1)
- Drooling
- Difficulty walking
- Tremors or seizures (2)
These signs tend to appear within 30 minutes to 2 hours after overdose. If your dog displays any concerning symptoms like vomiting, tremors or bloody stool after taking vitamins, call your vet right away. Vitamin D toxicity in particular can cause rapid kidney failure, so prompt treatment is essential (3).
With appropriate veterinary care, prognosis for vitamin overdose is generally good. Your vet will likely induce vomiting and give IV fluids to flush toxins. In severe cases hospitalization, activated charcoal or kidney dialysis may be needed.
To prevent toxicity, carefully follow package instructions and ask your vet if you’re unsure about supplement dosage for your dog’s size and health status.
Sources:
(1) https://wagwalking.com/condition/vitamins-poisoning
(2) https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/animal-health-literacy/vitamin-d-toxicity-dogs
(3) https://www.aspca.org/news/which-supplements-and-vitamins-are-dangerous-pets
Conclusion
When feeding your dog a homemade diet, balancing all their nutritional needs can be challenging. Providing a complete and balanced multivitamin designed for dogs can help fill in any gaps that may arise. Quality supplements from reputable brands can give you peace of mind that your dog is getting sufficient vitamins, minerals and antioxidants for their optimal health and wellbeing.
While a homemade diet allows you to customize your dog’s nutrition, it’s critical not to overlook the importance of balanced nutrition. Look for signs of deficiency or toxicity, and adjust supplement levels accordingly under veterinary supervision. With thoughtful formulation, monitoring and quality supplements, you can nourish your dog with confidence.
As your trusted partner in your dog’s health journey, we encourage focusing on high quality whole foods first, and relying on supplements only to fill nutritional gaps. Together we can ensure your dog thrives on a homemade diet full of natural, species-appropriate nutrition.